Author Topic: England stifles . . .  (Read 2354 times)

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  • Walther Eberbach  1919

    ・ENGLAND・KNEBELT・ — NEUTRALEN・WETTBEWERB・UM・GER — AUBTES・DEUTSCHES・GUT・ (England stifles neutral competition for stolen German property).  Cast bronze, light-brown patina, 69.5mm, 84.51 g.   Beveled edge (diameter of reverse slightly smaller than that of obverse).  Edge-punch of uncertain meaning (E - ?).  Vorzüglich (extremely fine).  Rare!

    Obverse: On low pedestal at left sits anthropomorphic British Bulldog, to right, wearing tiny crown and holding in its right hand large bag inscribed 81000 KA / KARAT / DEUTS[CHE] / DIAMA[NTEN] (81000 account statement(?) carat German diamonds - see below), left hand holding high a radiant diamond; kneeling at right, facing left, shabbily clothed, gagged man raises bound hands in supplication; gag free-end inscribed HOLLAND・; title legend in double border encircling edge, separated by image as indicated; artist's signature and date W.EBERBACH・1917・ on base of pedestal; raised rim. 

    Reverse: From smoldering landscape of thorny vines rises single spiraling shoot bearing radiant long spines; dates 1914 -  19 separated by plant stem; monogram interlaced EW at lower right; raised rim.

    Cf: Lipp, Peter.  2018.  Heilbronn geprägt und gegossen: Stadtgeschichte auf Münzen und Medaillen vom Mittelalter bis heute, p. 194: no. 462.

    For an example in the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin Münzkabinett, see Münzkabinett, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin Acc. 1920/413, Objekt-Nr: 18235026:  https://ikmk.smb.museum/object?lang=en&id=18235026.

    Design of obverse dated 1917 predates that on reverse (1919).  Eberbach used the same reverse design and date on another medal with an obverse dated earlier (1916): "Poilu and Death/Marianne" (see my previous post).  Whether either of these medals had originally been produced in 1916 or 1917 is uncertain: thus far no examples are known.  Two of his original wartime iron "Totentanz" designs, dated 1916, reissued in bronze with the identical 1919 reverse design are in the Landesmuseum Württemberg Münzkabinett:  https://bawue.museum-digital.de/index.php?t=objekt&oges=18546&cachesLoaded=true and https://bawue.museum-digital.de/index.php?t=objekt&oges=18541&cachesLoaded=true.

    The incident satirized on the obverse of this propaganda medal is thus far unknown to me.  Also uncertain is the meaning of the inscription on the Bulldog's bag: KA can be an abbreviation for Kontoauszug (statement of account), Konzessionsausgabe (licensing return), or Kreditabkommen (credit- or loan agreement).

    I would welcome any reader's comments or further explanation of this medal's meaning.

England stifles . . .
« on: December 16, 2019, 05:30:32 PM »

Walther Eberbach  1919

・ENGLAND・KNEBELT・ — NEUTRALEN・WETTBEWERB・UM・GER — AUBTES・DEUTSCHES・GUT・ (England stifles neutral competition for stolen German property).  Cast bronze, light-brown patina, 69.5mm, 84.51 g.   Beveled edge (diameter of reverse slightly smaller than that of obverse).  Edge-punch of uncertain meaning (E - ?).  Vorzüglich (extremely fine).  Rare!

Obverse: On low pedestal at left sits anthropomorphic British Bulldog, to right, wearing tiny crown and holding in its right hand large bag inscribed 81000 KA / KARAT / DEUTS[CHE] / DIAMA[NTEN] (81000 account statement(?) carat German diamonds - see below), left hand holding high a radiant diamond; kneeling at right, facing left, shabbily clothed, gagged man raises bound hands in supplication; gag free-end inscribed HOLLAND・; title legend in double border encircling edge, separated by image as indicated; artist's signature and date W.EBERBACH・1917・ on base of pedestal; raised rim. 

Reverse: From smoldering landscape of thorny vines rises single spiraling shoot bearing radiant long spines; dates 1914 -  19 separated by plant stem; monogram interlaced EW at lower right; raised rim.

Cf: Lipp, Peter.  2018.  Heilbronn geprägt und gegossen: Stadtgeschichte auf Münzen und Medaillen vom Mittelalter bis heute, p. 194: no. 462.

For an example in the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin Münzkabinett, see Münzkabinett, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin Acc. 1920/413, Objekt-Nr: 18235026:  https://ikmk.smb.museum/object?lang=en&id=18235026.

Design of obverse dated 1917 predates that on reverse (1919).  Eberbach used the same reverse design and date on another medal with an obverse dated earlier (1916): "Poilu and Death/Marianne" (see my previous post).  Whether either of these medals had originally been produced in 1916 or 1917 is uncertain: thus far no examples are known.  Two of his original wartime iron "Totentanz" designs, dated 1916, reissued in bronze with the identical 1919 reverse design are in the Landesmuseum Württemberg Münzkabinett:  https://bawue.museum-digital.de/index.php?t=objekt&oges=18546&cachesLoaded=true and https://bawue.museum-digital.de/index.php?t=objekt&oges=18541&cachesLoaded=true.

The incident satirized on the obverse of this propaganda medal is thus far unknown to me.  Also uncertain is the meaning of the inscription on the Bulldog's bag: KA can be an abbreviation for Kontoauszug (statement of account), Konzessionsausgabe (licensing return), or Kreditabkommen (credit- or loan agreement).

I would welcome any reader's comments or further explanation of this medal's meaning.

« Last Edit: December 16, 2019, 09:59:42 PM by Haarmann »